What is the opposite of an "Ice Age"? There is no antonym for "ice" so let's call it an "Igneous Age" since igneous rock is produced by intense heat.
Scientist say that the period we're in is called a Holocene period. It's the period between the interglacial periods. In other words, it's the time between two Ice Ages. There isn't concrete of evidence of how long this period is supposed to last. However, a previous interglacial period lasted 28,000 years(1) If that were to stay constant, the next Ice Age would be about 20,000 years from now.
Scientists are always looking for the causes of Ice Ages because they feel another one is coming. I feel that there's not another Ice Age they have to worry about. Observational evidence is leading me to believe that an Igneous Age is what they need to worry about.
I started forming this loose hypothesis during the Indian Summer NYC has just experienced. During the second week of January 2008, temperatures reached the upper 60s. The norm should be the upper 30s to lower 40s (but even this is "warm" for a city winter). Is it just me or has the weather been changing constantly over the past few years?
Global warming is the main culprit, I believe. It will ultimately lead to the Igneous Age. Think for a moment? Winters are becoming less wintry and summers are a lot steamier. Well, at least in NYC. There are parts of the artic region that have melted to reveal lush forestry. These places have been buried underneath ice for thousands of years.
Recently, baby Lyuba (a 6 month old baby mammoth) was unearthed because the permafrost of the Siberian region is melting away (2) Permafrost is land that stays frosted all year round. Her discovery will not only help scientist understand the cause of the last ice age but also shows that the Earth's climate is changing.
The Earth's climate always changes just before an Ice Age. This is because the Earth shifts on its axis. There is evidence that the Earth has recently shifted on its axis. The tsunami of 2004 was created by the force of an under-ocean earthquake. The earthquake responsible for the Asian tsunami was so powerful that it changed the local geography, shifting islands and the mainland of
There's no doubt, in my mind, the global warming is changing the climate of our planet. The Artic regions are melting. As this land is melting, methane gases are being released into the atmosphere which accelerates global warming. Our compromised ozone layer will allow more and more of the Sun's rays to pierce through. 20,000 years from now, we will be too close to the sun for an Ice Age. 20,000 years from now, the Earth may be bombarded with intense heat. Heat so intense that life as we know it will cease to exist which is not to say that mankind will cease to exist. We made it through the Ice Age didn't we? Or did we?
Hmm…something to think about.
Oh yea...the lady is a scholar too.
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